European Service Module
Manufacturer | European Space Agency |
---|---|
Used on | Orion |
General characteristics | |
Height | 4 m (13 ft) [1] |
Diameter | 4.1 m (13 ft) (excluding solar panels) |
Gross mass | 13,500 kg (29,800 lb) [2] |
Propellant mass | 8,600 kg (19,000 lb) [2][3] |
Derived from | Automated Transfer Vehicle |
Launch history | |
Status | Operational |
First flight | November 16, 2022 |
European SM | |
Powered by | 1 AJ10 |
Maximum thrust | 26.6 kN (6,000 lbf) |
Propellant | MON3/MMH |
The European Service Module (ESM) is the
The module's first flight was Artemis 1, the first major milestone in NASA's Artemis program to return humans to the Moon, on November 16, 2022. The Space Launch System launched Orion toward the Moon, where the ESM placed the spacecraft into distant retrograde orbit around the Moon, and subsequently extracted it from that orbit and sent it back to Earth.
The service module supports the crew module from launch through separation prior to reentry. It provides in-space propulsion capability for orbital transfer, attitude control, and high altitude ascent aborts. It provides the water and oxygen needed for a habitable environment, generates and stores electrical power, and maintains the temperature of the vehicle's systems and components. This module can also transport unpressurized cargo and scientific payloads.[4]
History
Initial design
Roughly cylindrical in shape, the original American-designed Orion service module, like the crew module, would have been constructed of
The Orion Main Engine (OME) was a 33-kilonewton (7,500 lbf) thrust, pressure-fed, regeneratively cooled, storable bi-propellant rocket engine to be made by Aerojet. The OME was an increased performance version of the 27-kilonewton (6,000 lbf) thrust rocket engine used by the Space Shuttle for its Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS). The SM Reaction Control System (RCS), the spacecraft's maneuvering thrusters (originally based on the Apollo "quad" system, but resembling that used on Gemini), would also be pressure-fed, and would use the same propellants. NASA believed the SM RCS would be able to act as a backup for a trans-Earth injection (TEI) burn in case the main SM engine failed.
A pair of LOX tanks (similar to those used in the
The service module also mounted the spacecraft's waste heat management system (its radiators) and the aforementioned
The Orion service module would be encapsulated by fiberglass shrouds jettisoned at the same time as the LES/Boost Protective Cover, which would take place roughly 21⁄2 minutes after launch (30 seconds after the solid rocket first stage was jettisoned). Prior to the "Orion 606" redesign, the Orion SM resembled a squat, enlarged version of the
The Orion service module (SM) was projected comprising a
ATV-based module
This section needs to be updated.(July 2019) |
A review of the Constellation program in 2009 by the
In May 2011 the
In November 2012, ESA obtained the commitment of its member states for it to construct an ATV-derived service module for Orion, to fly on the maiden flight of the Space Launch System, thereby meeting ESA's budgetary obligation to NASA regarding the ISS for 2017–20.[12] No decision was made about supplying the module for later Orion flights.[13]
In January 2013, NASA announced its agreement, made the preceding December, that ESA would build the service module for Exploration Mission-1 (renamed Artemis 1), then scheduled to take place in 2017. This service module was not required for Exploration Flight Test-1 in 2014, as this used a test service module supplied by Lockheed Martin.[14] On 17 November 2014 ESA signed a €390 million fixed price contract with Airbus Defence and Space for the development and construction of the first ATV-based service module.[15] In December 2016, ESA's member states agreed it would extend its commitment to the ISS to 2024, and would supply a second service module, as part of the resulting budgetary obligation.[16]
The new design
The new design for the solar arrays, replacing ATK's decagonal (labeled "circular") UltraFlex design,[19] is by Airbus Defence and Space,[18] whose subsidiary, Airbus Defence and Space Netherlands (then known as Dutch Space), built the ATV's X-shaped array of four panels. The ATV's array generated 4.6 kilowatts. The upgraded version for the service module will generate about 11 kilowatts,[19] and will span about 19 m (62 ft) when extended.[18]
In September 2015, Thales Alenia Space signed a contract with Airbus Defence and Space to develop and produce thermomechanical systems for the service module, including structure and micrometeoroid protection, thermal control and consumable storage and distribution.[20]
Lockheed Martin is building the two adapters, connecting the service module to the crew module and to the upper stage of the Space Launch System, and also the three fairing panels that are jettisoned after protecting the service module during launch and ascent.[18]
On 16 February 2017 a €200m contract was signed between Airbus and the European Space Agency for the production of a second European service module for use on the first crewed Orion flight.[21]
From 2018
On 26 October 2018 the first unit for Artemis 1 was assembled in full at Airbus Defence and Space's factory in Bremen.[22]
The service module's main engine for Artemis 1 will be a
In comparison with the Apollo command and service module, which previously took astronauts to the Moon, the European Service Module generates approximately twice as much electricity (11.2 kW vs 6.3 kW), weighs nearly 40% less when fully fuelled (15,461 kg,[25] vs 24,520 kg) and is roughly the same size (4 m in length excluding engine[26] and 4.1 m vs 3.9 m in diameter) supporting the environment for a slightly (45%) larger habitable volume on the crew module (8.95 m3 vs 6.17 m3) though it will carry 50% less propellant for orbital maneuvers (8,600 kg usable propellant vs 18,584 kg).
The ESM will be able to support a crew of four for 21 days against the 14 day endurance for the three-man Apollo.
In November 2019, ESA member states approved the financing of ESMs for Artemis 3 and 4.[27] In May 2020 the contract between Airbus and the European Space Agency for the production of a third European Service Module was signed.[28]
In October 2020, ESA and NASA sign a Memorandum of understanding which includes the provision by ESA of ESM-4 and ESM-5 as a participation in the Gateway, allowing three flights of European astronauts to Lunar orbit between 2025 and 2030.[29]
In February 2021, the contract between Airbus and the European Space Agency to provide ESM-4 to ESM-6 was signed.[30]
Specifications
Dimensions | 4 m long
diameters: 4.1 m excluding solar panels, 5.2 m stowed, 19 m with solar panels unfurled [2] |
Primary engine | 1 Space Shuttle Orbital Maneuvering System providing 26.6 kN of thrust for ESM-1 to ESM-6[2] 1 New Aerojet Orion Main Engine (OME) from ESM-7[31] |
Secondary engine | 8 x 490 N Aerojet R-4D-11 Auxiliary Thrusters providing 3.92 kN of thrust [2] |
Maneuvering thrusters | 24 x 220 N thrust Airbus Reaction Control System Engines in six pods of four [2] |
Propellant capacity | 9,000 kg[1] propellant in four 2000 L propellant tanks, 2 mixed oxides of nitrogen (MON) and 2 monomethyl hydrazine (MMH). The usable propellant load is 8,600 kg[2][3] |
Power generation | 11.2 kW from 4 x 7.375 m wings each containing 3 solar panels[1] |
Total launch mass | 13,500 kg for Lunar Mission, including 240 kg of water in four tanks, 90 kg of oxygen in three tanks, 30 kg of nitrogen in one tank, 8,600 kg of usable propellant [2] |
Payload | Payload mass up to 380 kg and a payload volume of up to 0.57 cubic meters[3] |
Materials | (insulation), |
European Service Module models
Model | Mission | Name | Status | Framework |
STA | Structural Test Article | Used for Structural tests in Plum Brook Station, Ohio. | ||
PQM | Propulsion Qualification Model | Used for propulsion testing in White Sands, New Mexico. | ||
ESM-1 | Artemis 1 | Bremen | Mission complete, launched November 16, 2022 | ISS barter |
ESM-2 | Artemis 2 | In NASA KSC (O&C). | ISS barter | |
ESM-3 | Artemis 3 | Integration in Airbus Bremen. | ISS barter | |
ESM-4 | Artemis 4 | Integration in Airbus Bremen. | Gateway | |
ESM-5 | Artemis 5 | Integration in Airbus Bremen. | Gateway | |
ESM-6 | Artemis 6
|
Integration in Airbus Bremen. | ISS barter | |
ESM-7 to 9 | Artemis 7 to 9 | In negotiation between ESA and Airbus. | ISS barter |
References
- ^ a b c European Service Module test article 2015
- ^ a b c d e f g h Orion / EM-1 (Exploration Mission-1) Aug 2019
- ^ a b c "Artemis 1".
- ^ "Explore the Exploration Vehicle". NASA. 6 June 2013. Archived from the original on 6 May 2021. Retrieved 6 February 2021. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ "NASA and ATK Successfully Deploy 18-Foot Diameter Solar Array for ST8 Program". ATK. 9 October 2008.
- ^ "The Orion Service Module". NASA. 4 August 2008. Archived from the original on 13 August 2009. Retrieved 2008-08-19.
- ^ "Orion". Encyclopedia Astronautica. Archived from the original on December 28, 2016. Retrieved 2013-05-11.
- ^ Review of U.S. Human Space Flight Plans Committee; Augustine; Austin; Chyba; Kennel; Bejmuk; Crawley; Lyles; Chiao; Greason; Ride. "Seeking A Human Spaceflight Program Worthy of A Great Nation" (PDF). Final Report. NASA. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 16, 2019. Retrieved August 26, 2022.
- ^ "US and Europe plan new spaceship". BBC News. 5 May 2011. Archived from the original on 6 May 2011. Retrieved 2011-05-14.
- ^ "ATV evolution studies look at exploration, debris removal". Spaceflight Now. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
- ^ "Astrium awarded two ATV evolution studies from ESA". Astrium. 21 June 2012. Archived from the original on 3 April 2013. Retrieved 2012-06-23.
- ^ Bergin, Chris (November 21, 2012). "UK steps up, as ESA commit to ATV Service Module on NASA's Orion". NASASpaceFlight.com. NASA. Retrieved 2013-05-06.
- ^ Clark, Stephen (November 21, 2012). "ESA member states fund Orion service module". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved 2013-05-06.
- ^ NASA Signs Agreement for a European-Provided Orion Service Module
- ^ "ESA Commissions Airbus Defence and Space as Prime Contractor for US Space Capsule Orion Service Module". spaceref business. 17 November 2014. Archived from the original on 12 May 2021. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
- Space News. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
- ^ a b Bergin, Chris (20 June 2015). "Plum Brook prepped for EM-1 Orion Service Module testing". NASASpaceFlight.com. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
- ^ a b c d e Garcia, Mark (17 June 2015). "NASA Gears Up to Test Orion's Powerhouse". NASA. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
- ^ Space News. Retrieved 28 July 2015.
- ^ "Thales Alenia Space to supply thermomechanical systems for Orion ESM".
- ^ ""Airbus Defence and Space Wins 100 Million Euros ESA Contract for Second Service Module for NASA's Orion Crewed Space Capsule" Feb 2017". Archived from the original on 2017-04-19. Retrieved 2017-04-18.
- ^ "Call for media: The European Service module meets Orion". European Space Agency. 26 October 2018.
- ^ Engine of Atlantis March 2021
- ^ "ESA deal hinges on what Trump does with NASA’s human spaceflight plans" Feb 2017
- ^ "Orion (MPCV)".
- ^ Apollo Operators Handbook Block II Spacecraft (PDF). Vol. 1. NASA. 15 April 1969. p. 60.
- ^ Earth observation, deep space exploration big winners in new ESA budget
- ^ "European contract signed for Moon mission hardware". BBC News. Archived from the original on 2022-12-16.
- ^ NASA, European Space Agency Formalize Artemis Gateway Partnership
- ^ Three more service modules for Artemis to be built in Europe
- ^ "Aerojet Rocketdyne Awarded NASA Contract for Orion Spacecraft Main Engine | Aerojet Rocketdyne". www.rocket.com. 2021-09-21. Retrieved 2023-02-10.
- ^ "Tanks for Orion flight model no. 2 delivered".
External links
- Orion Spacecraft at NASA Archived 2020-11-12 at the Wayback Machine
- Orion at ESA
- European Service Module at Airbus Defence and Space Archived 2016-10-18 at the Wayback Machine